ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 25, 1996 TAG: 9612260049
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
COLUMN: A Cuppa Joe
SOURCE: JOE KENNEDY
The small pond on the Ellett farm on Brandon Avenue Southwest was "one of the first things I loved about Roanoke when I moved here from New Orleans," says Judy Gearing, who drives past it on the way to her job at Roanoke College.
"I said, 'Oh, isn't this lovely.' It's like driving down a countryside. Like a calendar picture."
Lately, that picture has begun to change. A concrete wall is rising beside the pond. Gearing and other drivers in the estimated 19,000 vehicles that pass it wonder how it will affect their view of the geese, swans and other wildlife that live there.
Lucy Ellett's grandfather built the spring-fed pond, about an acre in size, on his farm around 1910. With its varying population of deer and waterfowl, it has become a quiet Roanoke landmark.
"It's amazing to me how many people go by and enjoy the bird life," Ellett says. "People send me pictures of the birds - people I never even heard of."
Many have asked her about the 146-foot wall, part of the Peters Creek road project and the related widening of Brandon. Some have even stopped and questioned construction workers.
"They want to know exactly what's going on," says Al Holland, an inspector for the Virginia Department of Transportation. Who can blame them?
A visual oasis
The farm is one of the largest in the city. Its presence amid unattractive strip development makes it a visual oasis. People take a proprietary interest in it - people like Judy Gearing, who moved here in 1983, with her husband, Bill.
"I thought there used to be cows on the hill farther down," she says. "Are they going to be gone, too?"
Here's the scoop:
*The cows will return. The Elletts removed them when the fence came down for the widening, which will take a long, thin strip of pasture amounting to about an acre.
*The pond will stay. The wall will retain it.
*The barrier won't be as high as it looks. It stands 4 feet 2 inches, but will drop to 2 feet, 8 inches when the roadbed is raised.
City and VDOT officials say the view may be better after the wall is completed. Trees, honeysuckle and brush made the pond difficult to see, they say; some people didn't even know it was there.
Hmm. We'll see.
Where the wild things are
The officials respond quickly when you ask about the pond, because they recognize its place in people's hearts.
Recently, during the morning rush, with the sun shining and the temperature in the teens, dozens of Canada geese stood stoically in the grass in front of a couple of peacocks. Two white mute swans glided to the bank, expecting to be fed, and a great blue heron rose from the water and soared north, high above CMT Sporting Goods, across the road.
A group of seven deer has visited the pond in recent weeks, workmen say. About six families of geese live there full time. The rest come and go.
During the year, Lucy Ellett and her husband, Frank, see muskrat, fox and many other animals on their 80 acres.
A few years ago, a bobcat dropped by.
"One night he came up and screamed at our fence line," Ellett says. "The neighbors were horrified."
If this sounds heavenly to you, imagine how it looks to a developer - grass-covered frontage on an improved road in an area that's already home to numerous businesses.
Lots of people approach the Elletts with ideas. Luckily, they're not interested. They just want the roadwork done.
"We're pleased there's been as little disturbance to the pond as there has been," Lucy Ellett says.
Judy Gearing is relieved.
"I've felt so lucky to have this on my normal route," she says. "In New Orleans, we had to make a special trip across [Lake] Ponchartrain to see anything that resembled country."
What's your story? Call me at 981-3256, send e-mail to kenn@roanoke.infi.net or write to me at P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010.
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